Cigar Review – Camacho Imperial Stout Barrel-Aged

Cigar Dojo Collaborates with Camacho for an Innovative Taste Experience

Iron sharpens iron. So one man sharpens another. – Proverbs 21:17

About

Collaboration is nothing new in the cigar industry but there are some partnerships that that truly potentiate the creativity of each other. The joining of Cigar Dojo and Camacho is a great example of that enhanced effect. When ideas start out with “what would happen if….” either wonderful things or major disasters are about to happen. The Imperial Stout Barrel-Aged takes the idea of barrel-aged cigars to a new level. Tobacco is aged in barrels that have previously been used to age bourbon and then Imperial Stout. The combination of the bourbon, stout and tobacco creates a flavor profile that is unique and stand-alone in the cigar industry.

Construction

Only 4000 cigars were made so sorry readers, if you don’t have one, they are already sold out. However, stay tuned……you never know what the Dojo has up its sleeve. Might find some sneaking into the market down the road.

The cigar felt sturdy with no soft or hard spots noted throughout the length of the stick.

Appearance

At first glance one might think this is a Camacho Triple Maduro. The wrapper and bands are similar in color and style. Once you take a closer look however, the Imperial Stout words pop out on the foot label.

This is a good looking cigar. Not fancy but not really plain. The wrapper is a nice deep brown, smooth with some veins which gives it the appearance of a sturdy and substantial stick. The vitola is perfect in my opinion. Substantial enough for a man’s hands but also a perfect ring gauge for my fairly large lady hands which has me feeling like an accomplished lady SOTL and not a beginner fluffy flavored cigar smoker.

Draw

I used my customary and favorite punch for my cut and found the cap to be sturdy with just the right amount of give. There was no cracking or breaking of the cap during the cut. The dry draw was plentiful but not sloppy.

The IS (Imperial Stout) lit nicely and produced an abundant plume of smoke in the first few draws.

First Third

There was no pepper in this baby, but plenty of flavors mixed onto my palette right out of the gate. It was surprisingly smooth. An immediate flavor of charred wood mixed with cocoa and leather hit my palette. The combination gave the IS an earthy but not dirty flavor. The hint of malt was there and came forward during the retrohale.

The flavors are already blending for a scrumptious palette experience. Plenty of smoke is produced and I am anticipating where this cigar is going to go as the smoking experience proceeds.

Second Third

The ash is a nice yellow white with gray interspersed. It is solid and does not fall off as I move the cigar around for inspection. Burn line is crisp and even with mild touch ups done just to please my anal OCD need for a straight line.

The ash finally fell when I really jiggled the stick around while taking pictures. A cooler burn is noted in the center of the filler as noted by the way the ash detached.

Malt flavors have moved forward as have some hoppiness. The mix of stout and bourbon is there but what amazes me is that it is not overpowering. It is subtle yet strong enough to let you know it is there. The chocolate cocoa and leather balance the flavors nicely. It has settled into a well balanced and flavourful smoke. Not sweet, not peppery, yet not harsh or bitter.

Last Third

The label was easy to remove and there was no damage to the wrapper. This is a fairly fresh cigar so I am always cautious about the integrity of the wrapper.

More of the barrel-aged flavors are coming out and there is a taste of hops on the tip of the tongue. The IS has settled into the home stretch with mostly malt, barrel-aged and hops flavors. However, just as I am getting to the nub portion of the cigar I get a blast of leather again, as if the cigar wants to tell me, I’m not done being complex.

Tasting Notes

I like to put my cigar down for a few minutes as I smoke and one thing that stood out was the blast of flavor I experienced every time I would pick the stick back up. This is a flavor bomb of a cigar that is only going to get better with age in my opinion.

Malt, cocoa (chocolate), bourbon, leather, charred wood, and hops lend itself to a cigar that might sound a little odd but makes the most of an innovative and creative mix.

Overall Rating – 91

Whether a Stout drinker, bourbon drinker or some other beverage drinker, the flavors of the IS Barrel-Aged cigar are subtle enough to be noticed and enjoyed but never enough to turn-off non-beer / bourbon drinkers. That raises the ante on this smoke for me. I am more of a coffee and liquor drinker and I could easily pair this cigar with some dark roast, Guatemalan, Nicaraguan, Cuban coffee and have a superb combination. I am very excited to try many different pairings with this in the future as I think the possibilities are quite endless and will bring out different aspects of flavors.

Camacho has fallen off my radar for quite awhile. I have not been a big fan of their changeover with the new labels, blends etc. The only one I had was the barrel aged blend which was pretty good.
However, your review was very positive but as you stated, not available. Might think about Camacho once again.

I agree with you completely and have been enjoying some of the more recent releases. You might enjoy the Shellback from the Brotherhood series. The Ecuador is also a great tasting cigar. Good luck and keep me posted brother!